Eating disorders

We provide assessments and interventions to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people with eating disorders in education, home and community settings.

What are eating disorders?

Some eating disorders are classed as a mental health disorder and are categorised into three main classifications:

Restrictive (anorexia nervosa)

Binge eating and purging (bulimia nervosa)

Eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS)

Children and young people with an eating disorder can have a combination of the above three types. Eating disorders may evolve over time into a different type. Recently more categories have been introduced, but are not yet formally diagnosable, to demonstrate the variety of ways eating disorders can occur, in addition to raising awareness of underlying conditions which could cause an eating disorder.

Other descriptions of eating disorders include:

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)

Compulsive overeating (COE)

Muscle dysmorphia

if you are concerned about a child or young person's weight loss, because they haven't eaten in 7 days or have collapsed, then please contact a medical professional immediately.

How do eating disorders affect individuals?

Eating disorders affect individuals on a physical and an emotional level, and it is important to address them as soon as possible to prevent problems and difficulties from escalating. Eating disorders are the leading cause of death due to mental health conditions.

The psychological and emotional effects of eating disorders last longer than physical symptoms, meaning that even when an individual reaches a healthy weight, they may still be experiencing symptoms emotionally or mentally. Examples of symptoms include:

Anxiety

Depression

Reduction in mental capacities

Shame

Irritation

Delusions

Attention difficulties

Obsessions

Self-harm

Suicidal thoughts

Low self-esteem and self-worth

Due to the stigma of eating disorders they may be difficult to identify, and it is important that a specialist identifies specific needs and provides support.

Our process

At HSR Psychology we ensure that we meet the needs of children and young people. To achieve this we ensure that any specific assessments, intervention, or direct work, is only carried out following an initial discussion.

An initial discussion allows us to understand the background and your expectations of our involvement. Having an initial discussion ensures any services we provide appropriately identify or address needs.

Our process for any specific assessments, intervention, or direct work is as follows:

Step 1: Contact us

We will usually be contacted by the child or young person, parent or carer, or another professional (eg education or health).

Step 2: Arrange an initial discussion

Step 3: Review our recommendations

Following an initial discussion we will send you an email that includes:

Next steps recommendations - to provide a bespoke package of support. For example:

Assessments

Reports

Information gathering

Meeting

Interventions

Consultancy

Reviews

Costing - we will provide costings for any services recommended.

Step 4: Let's get started

On receipt of the next steps recommendations and costing you can decide how to proceed. Once you have decided contact us to arrange the chosen services.

How do we improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people with an eating disorder?

Our team will choose appropriate assessments to ensure a holistic and comprehensive understanding of the child or young person’s mental health and wellbeing needs in order to develop an effective package of psychological support. Our team will work alongside relevant medical professionals to ensure that physical needs are identified and met.

Which assessments do we use for eating disorders?

The specific assessments used will be chosen depending on the child or young person and their needs. Assessments we use often are:

Family relations test: children's version - aims to increase understanding of how a child perceives family members, including information about relationships which may not be appropriate

BECK youth inventories - We may use one or more of the following inventories:

Depression, anxiety, anger, disruptive behaviour, self-concept

Resiliency scales - Understanding a child or young person’s capacity for resiliency helps to guide interventions and follow up work

SIP-C - Self-image profiles for children help us to understand how children feel about themself

SIP-A - Self-image profiles for adults provides a useful insight into how a young person perceives themself to be

BASC-3 - Behaviour assessment system for children helps to understand the behaviours and emotions of children and young people

BASC-3 BESS - Behavioural and emotional screening system can identify emotional strengths and challenges in children and young people which will then be used during follow up work

There are other assessments and ways of identifying needs among children and young people with eating disorders.

What types of interventions do we provide?

We provide a broad range of interventions for individuals and families. Types of intervention we provide include:

Self-help

Family intervention

Mentalisation based therapies

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Interpersonal psychotherapy

Management of co-occurring conditions

Psychoeducation

Interventions are chosen to suit the child or young person and their specific needs.

How much does a psychological needs assessment for eating disorders cost?

The prices below are based on the average time it takes to complete a psychological needs assessment and write a report summarising findings. A formal quote will be provided following an initial discussion.

Assessment with a brief report: £240

Assessment with a comprehensive report: £400

Eating disorders can have long lasting implications on an individual’s life, physically and mentally. Early identification of psychological needs encourages positive changes at the earliest opportunity to facilitate recovery. Eating disorders and associated needs are complex which is why it is important that an assessment takes place by a specialist. To arrange an initial discussion or to find out more please contact us and talk to a member of our team.

Arrange an initial discussion

Arrange an initial discussion to find out how we can benefit your education setting. The initial discussion lasts 2 hours and is a starting point to identify needs. The cost is £160.

HSR Psychology is an independently owned and controlled not-for-profit social enterprise we reinvest any profits we generate to further maximise the wellbeing and potential of children and young people.